Dry ship method

[Ping]

I am looking for info on dry shipping corals. So they can be placed in carry on luggage during Air travel.

In particular, can SPS be dry shipped and how do we prepare the coral.

[BIGBIRD123]

This is none.

I just got off the phone with Scott @ Extreme Corals and he said there wasn't anyway to do it. He did say that he has had people put as much as $2000 worth in boxes in the check-on without any problems.

Steve

[Ram_Puppy]

Ping, i have never heard of dry shipping SPS...

I think if you were going to do it, you would need to test it on some ugly as sin stuff first.

Off the top of my head i would say paper towels soaked in salt water...

BUT... I wonder if maybe soaking a paper towel in a slurry of salt water and carbon dust might up your odds...

very interesting idea.

[erikharrison]

Is this to reduce the cost of shipping due to the weight of water?

[cpreefguy]

I have heard of the paper towel method, but Im not sure how it would work on a colony?
I have had stuff shipped to me with bits of carbon in the bag, so it's funny you say that Ram.
Im just going to bring a big empty styro shipper with a box around it, and bring back a full one :)

[RayAllen]

yep never heard of this myself. Sounds like a dead coral waiting to happen.

[Ram_Puppy]

i think he is trying to get past the restrictions on airline flights about containers holding liquid over a couple oz...

honestly, I would take some small bags, fill w/ water and coral, pack it just like a net order, and check it w/ your baggage.

it's a novel concept, but not worth losing some cherry colonies.

[BIGBIRD123]

see above post...

[erikharrison]

i think he is trying to get past the restrictions on airline flights about containers holding liquid over a couple oz...

Thank God for Homeland Security, and I am not being facetious. Interesting thread...

[ClownReef®]

I don't remeber who maybe Calfo or Tyree used to dry ship acro's all the time using saltwater soaked newspaper.
I will try and find the disscusion I read on RC where he talked about it.

it was Calfo Brian. If i am correct, i believe he had mixed reviews about it.

Ive shipped SPS all over the U.S..and from my personal experience. Oxygen is more important than water. So i always shipped my colonies with water just barely covering the coral and the rest of oxygen. My "customers" recieved their coral in excellent condition and never had a loss from shipping.

[Ping]

Ahhh... It was Calfo. I will look in his book and post what it says.

[C.Mydas]

I vaguely remember a thread awhile back discussing this. I cant find it but Im going to keep looking.
-c

[ClownReef®]

From Anthony Calfo Himself:

"..Just make sure of two things: First, that the damp wrapped coral is in a sealed bag, just as though it were in water. You have to keep the humidity up to avoid evaporation causing the salinity of the water in the paper towel from rising. Second, water is a good thermal buffer, so the styrofoam container needs to be well sealed...no untaped lids, no lined boxes with gaps between the styro sheets, etc. But, Acropora is probably one of the better corals to ship this way. To date, they all seem to do very well damp shipped (except, IME, Seriatopora).."

[BIGBIRD123]

Thanks for the info Diego. I might try both ways at Pittsburg---send something home via dry-shipping and stuff I don't want to perish home on Sat via UPS or Fed-Ex. This is just for reference sake and general info for the future.

Steve

[ClownReef®]

Another message from Anthony Calfo: :D

"..Why don't more people do it? I have no earthly idea. Yes, I am sure some corals will not tolerate it well...for example, some gorgonians do not like air exposure at all (like sponges) and Seriatopora isn't happy with air exposure for long. But, so far, those are the only ones I have noticed that there are issues.."

"..I think its just fear of doing/trying it or not doing it right (humidity sealed and thermally stable). The shipping savings alone should be well worth the effort. For my last trip. I literally threw some brown paper towels (wet) around fragments and colonies and packed numerous different species in the same bag, filled the bag halfway with air, sealed the styrofoam box and walked out the door. Saves space, oxygen, weight, water...and the corals do as well or better. What more can I say?..."

And just in case anybody wonders how he acclimates dry shipped coral:

"..I haven't found much acclimation needed at all unless the temperature is very off. .."

[Ping]

Thanks Diego. I havent fouund my Calfo book yet.

[theedprado]

Pete. Nice airlines like United will ship fish and corals if they are packaged corectly, others such as southwest will not, unless they are shipped cargo. Give me a call or stop by and I will help you out.

[brewercm]

I know that they do it with crabs and snails. That being said, there are many acro species that are out of the water (completely for hours at a time) without any harm to the colony. Don't know of too many snails that could to that without becoming crispy critters pretty quick.

Not scientific, just a thought.

[LoneStar]

Aughghg! This is driving me crazy. I KNOW its been discussed before but I cant for the life of me find the post.
-christina

I know, I remember the thread too...I looked for a half hour earlier today but didn't find it. :roll

[ClownReef®]

Thanks Diego. I havent fouund my Calfo book yet.

You're VERY welcome. Just doing my part :)

Calfo also talks about dry-shipping anemones..hehehehe :ph34r :shades

SUCCESSFULLY!!!.. Im quite amazed..

[LoneStar]

Google narrowed part of it down ;)

http://www.maast.org/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=16206&pos tdays=0&postorder=asc&start=45

[jroescher]

I would think the bigger risk is TSA making you toss it in the trash or denying you entrance. All it takes is someone who doesn't know what it is and your stuck. Or they make you break all your seals so they can see what it is, then maybe even still not letting you carry it on. Too late to put it in your luggage then.

[Instar]

Check with http://www.aphis.usda.gov/import_export/ before bring corals back into the U.S. Also, in Texas, the Department of Health is responsible for certifications necessary to insure diseases to various systems are not imported from endemic areas (or exported). Such areas are somewhat geographically isolated areas where fish diseases and parasites of shell fish are known to thrive at our favorite diving and vacations spots as an example. Also, when caught smuggling in luggage without a CITES permit, the coral is confiscated. Fines may be higher than it's worth. The USDA in Austin will be able to tell you if you need an import permit. I have their number here somewhere if you are interested PM me. Licenses concerning ornamental marine fish and coral health normally have a total cost with mailing of about $35 and I would estimate that an import license is less than $50.00. Don't know about the CITES permit. For Onamental Marine Fish there is a harmonized international trade code and this is used as a reference to assess the Duty taxes on entry. Since everyone wants their cut, you should know the risks before bringing something back into the country or taking something live out.

[Instar]

For those who do not know: CITES = Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. 172 member countries with the intention that endangered species survival are not threatened. Corals and a number of marine animals/inverts are subject to this agreement. When the issue is not clear, border control may require CITES documentation with the carriage of the specimen. At the minimum, failure to produce the document results in confiscation of the specimen.

The sad and ironic part is a coral diver at Cancun may break off a nice live coral colony for you to show off to all your friends but smuggling it into the U.S. alive can be a violation of at least 2 laws.

[ClownReef®]

^^^EXCELLENT INFO Larry.

[taldrich13]

How long are we talking here? We all know there are areas where SPS are fully exposed at low tide for a period of time, so theoretically it is possible.

You've probably seen this before but......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfOBqEPX6GM